Get a Real Taste of Guam with the Island’s Best Traditional Foods
Posted by Maris on 25th Sep 2023
The Chamorro culture on Guam is distinguished by its warm hospitality. And food is frequently at the heart of such welcome. Food is typically a large part of the celebration, whether you’re being welcomed into someone’s house, celebrating a milestone like a wedding or a birthday, or simply spending time with family and friends.
Aside from its central significance on Guam, the various dishes you’ll discover on the island represent Guam’s past. Many reflect the culture of the various groups who have settled in Guam, including those from the Philippines, adjacent Pacific Islands, and Asia. Others exhibit Spanish and Japanese occupation influences.
In summary, there is a wide variety of food on Guam, and we’ll show you some of our traditional favorites. We’ll also include our team’s favorite places to eat these dishes (and others!) so you can get a sense of the complete range of wonderful cuisine available in Guam.
Fina’dennen Birenghenas
Cori Berking, President of DeWitt Guam, enjoys this first dish. This meal may also be referred to as “eggplant in coconut milk.” To make this dish, eggplant is boiled or grilled before being peeled and shredded. The eggplant is then combined with coconut milk, onions, red peppers, garlic, and lemon. Because the dish’s ingredients give it such a distinct flavor, fina’dennen birenghenas has even been known to convert eggplant haters. If you fall into this category, this traditional favorite is worth a try!
Tinala’ Katni
Two members of our DeWitt Guam team, Vice President and General Manager Victor Valenzuela and Business Development Coordinator Becky Chiguina, proposed this following meal. Tinala’ katni is essentially dried beef and is frequently served as an appetizer with fina’denne’, a Chamorro dipping sauce that can be found on practically every table in Guam. (More on that later!)
Fina‘denne‘
To equate fina’denne’ to ketchup would be a disrespect to this peculiar Chamorro sauce. However, if you want to grasp how widely fina’denne’ is used, consider that it is as prevalent on Guam as ketchup in an American restaurant on the mainland.
This spicy dipping sauce has an intriguing history that was first documented in the early twentieth century—and presumably has a long history that predates its documented one. Fina’denne’ was also influenced by the Japanese (who are attributed with adding soy sauce) and the Filipinos (who taught the Chamorro how to extract coconut sap, which is fermented into vinegar for this sauce).
Finally, fina’denne’ comes in a variety of flavors. Becky Chiguina, a DeWitt Guam team member, like “the infused kind with coconut milk, crab paste, and tiny bits of eggplant, green beans, and onion for added flavor and texture.” It’s delicious!” You could potentially do a whole Guam tasting tour based solely on fina’denne’, so keep a watch out for the many variations.
Chamorro Barbecue
Joyce Diamadi, a DeWitt Guam team member, emphasized her appreciation of Chamorro barbeque in addition to her love of chicken kelaguen. The marinating of the meat is the key. Chicken and ribs are marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, lemon, sugar, onion, and garlic for a full day before being barbecued over an open fire, generally fueled by tangan-tangan wood, in traditional Chamorro barbecue. Serve over red rice (more on that later) or a salad, and enjoy!
Kadon Pika
Pika is a Chamorro term that meaning “spicy,” so you can guess where this dish is headed. Kadon pika is a chicken stew that is commonly served over rice and includes some popular ingredients such as coconut milk, soy sauce, vinegar, peppers, onions, and garlic. If you’re allergic to spicy foods, you could potentially cut out the hot peppers while making this dish at home, but you’d miss out on the fun!
Buñelos Uhang
If you’ve ever had a maize fritter in the South or a conch fritter in the Caribbean, you already know what buelos uhang are like. Chamorro shrimp patties are made of shrimp, veggies, and dough that is deep fried till golden and crispy on the outside. The exact components vary, and some chefs strictly guard their recipes. However, there are several opportunities to sample a variety of various variants of this traditional dish. Consider yourself lucky if you can get the recipe from the chef!
Chamorro Red Rice
Red rice, like fina’denne’, is a staple of Chamorro cuisine. It’s at every party, and Kentucky Fried Chicken even has its own variation. This eye-catching meal gets its bright orange color from achiote seeds, which were likely brought to Guam by the Spanish from Mexico. (Achiote is also known as annatto.) The seeds are soaked overnight, or you can substitute achiote/annatto powder, although traditionalists swear the seeds add a richer flavor to the meal. When done correctly, traditional red rice is a tasty complement that outperforms plain white rice.